Reminder: Network downtime weekend of 13/14 June
12 Jun 2020
IT Services planned network maintenance announcement
On Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 June there may be disruption to connectivity across the University network. We are upgrading essential equipment in our University data centres which requires us to disconnect network equipment at various points throughout both days.
This will affect access to all systems and services connected to the University network including our Wi-Fi and wired network, email, shared files, remote desktop, Blackboard, My Manchester, University websites and more.
The work on both days will start at 8.30am and is expected to finish by 7pm. We expect there will be a full network outage of up to 90 minutes between 11.30am and 1pm, and up to 30 minutes at 6.30pm. Due to the nature of the work these times are estimates and may differ on the day.
The work is being completed by Roc Technologies, the University’s network partner. IT Services colleagues will be closely monitoring the network to ensure all services return as expected after the works.
To reduce the potential impact on our students, the work is taking place after the student examination period has concluded. A message will be included in the student news bulletin planned for Tuesday 9 June.
If you do leave your computers logged in during the work then any connections to P drives/shared drives should automatically re-connect. However, a log off and back on of the remote computer may be necessary.
Why are we doing this work?
As you may be aware, the University is undergoing an extensive programme of improvements to the University network, to enhance the wired and Wi-Fi network for our staff and students. The works also include upgrades to the equipment in our data centres – a key part of our network infrastructure.
Staff with specific questions about the essential upgrades on 13 and 14 June can email IT.modernisation@manchester.ac.uk. You can also speak with the IT service relationship manager for your area.
Thank you for bearing with us while these essential upgrades take place, as we work towards making the University network more reliable and resilient for our staff and students.
More information
Find out more about our network modernisation:
Want to stay in the know about planned IT work?
Staff and students can sign up to the IT Planned Work mailing list to receive occasional notifications of upcoming work, which may cause an impact to some IT services.